Desperate and Doomed

The forces of Chaos are everywhere, relentlessly attacking the Old World from the outside and corrupting it from within. Adventurers are in the thick of the fight, in a never-ending and seemingly hopeless battle. There are many who grit their teeth, determined to defend their way of life no matter how bleak the eventual outcome may appear. And then there are those who simply give up.[1a]

When someone is driven to become Desperate and Doomed, it’s because constant exposure to violence and horror has gradually weakened and then finally snapped his fragile mind. At the moment sanity leaves him forever, he has a delusional epiphany. He believes a powerful God (like Sigmar) finally shows him the truth: the world is coming to an apocalyptic end. There is nothing to be done about it. It’s time to repent and die.[1a]

Many of the Desperate and Doomed go into hiding, in deep caves or lonely forests. However, there are some who believe they’ve been anointed as the deity’s special messenger, and must preach to the people that their world is coming to an end. These are the ragged and filthy individuals seen in town squares or at crossroads, proselytizing about the final days of the Old World.[1a]

A person who is Desperate and Doomed believes he is constantly receiving instructions from his God to spread the word of the end times. Nothing else matters, not earning money, eating food, or washing. These messages can come to the afflicted via voices in the head, visions, symbolic dreams, or a combination of all three. The messages are always urgent, powerful and bleak: “The world is ending. Repent for your sins. Purify yourself for the final day.”[1a]

In order to prepare for the apocalypse, someone who is Desperate and Doomed must not only repent for his sins, but also cleanse his body and mind. To him the best acts of penitence and purification involve self-mutilation, the most popular form being to flay the skin from his body with chains, whips, ropes and studded leather straps. And it is his solemn duty to make sure others join in the atonements.[1a]

There are generals, Witch Hunters and warrior Priests who often trick the Desperate and Doomed into fighting for their army in a coming battle. They convince these pour souls that the final conflict is at hand, and feed them promises of a glorious death. In truth, the Desperate and Doomed are often used as cannon fodder, placed on the front lines to harass the enemy before dying gruesomely. They fill the ranks of the Flagellants in particular.[1a]